Spiral describes a curve that winds around a central point while steadily moving outward (or inward), like the pattern you'd create if you drew a circle while slowly walking away from its center. Picture a snail's shell, the swirl of water going down a drain, or the way you might arrange a rope on the ground by walking in circles that get larger with each loop.

In nature, spirals appear everywhere: galaxies spin in enormous spiral shapes, hurricanes form spiral bands of clouds, and DNA molecules twist in a double spiral called a helix. Ancient builders created spiral staircases to save space while still allowing people to climb to upper floors.

The word can also mean a situation that gets progressively worse. When someone says things are spiraling out of control, they mean a problem keeps getting bigger and harder to stop, like how a small argument might spiral into a huge fight if neither person calms down. Imagine forgetting one homework assignment, then feeling so worried that you can't concentrate on the next assignment, then falling further behind: that's a downward spiral.

You might spiral down a waterslide or watch smoke spiral upward from a campfire. As a verb, it means to move in that winding, circular pattern.